Woodchipping and Wildlife

Woodchipping has been one of the most bitter environmental conflicts in Australia, and fauna conservation has always been a theme in this debate.

Our national parks system will never be large enough to conserve all our biodiversity, so ecologically sustainable forest management is a necessary part of conserving species across the landscape.

The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife funds scientists to study the impact of logging on bats into the South East Forests of NSW.

Bats make up one third of mammals in these forests and as such need more research to help make the best management decisions.

The latest survey is based on a bat study that began in 1980 when the forest was being logged.

Forests change, and it is sensible to make today's management decisions on current information. The scientists went back to the same parts of the forest and reset the traps to catch the bats.

The next step was to place miniature radio-transmitters on the bats. Steady gains in technology have meant improvements in the transmitters. They are now less than one third of the weight that they were 20 years ago.

The results were amazing. The forest bats flew unerringly to the largest trees - giants that were about 1 metre in diameter. These roost trees were also characterised by rotting limbs, cracks in the trunk and other holes and entrances just the right size for a tiny bat to find a huge shelter. This means that these trees are old, and can be called old-growth elements in a forest that has been simplified by logging.

The results from surveys like this will now assist in developing appropriate forestry regimes.

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